The fifth day is always the hardest when the world is molding over to something new after three days work of conquering. The course blade was thinned down the best I could get it to go, it was slim, light in weight, and balanced in the center when held up by two fingers. The end of the blade had thick rivets of sewn fabric on the cross guard. The ricasso was still slit down, shaven to a thin strip so it was smooth enough to fit in the hilt. Darkness was descending and I contemplated whether or not to light a candle. If I lit one I’d be able to see a little bit better, but then again I could also give my position away. I tied my mud boots up and thought it’d be easier just to walk through the dark, I could use the tip of my boot to kick branches, recognize things and step over them.

When I was walking I couldn’t help but to look up at the sky and admire how lovely it was outside. The moon was in a crescent arc surrounded by deep black, scanning my eyes down towards the tree tops it softened just slightly to a lighter shade of gray and then at the base of the horizon it was a dark deep blue that highlighted the moon perfectly. I smirked slightly and continued on.

It was a cool night, but with enough walking to get your blood going it was a night that could easily make you sweat. I picked apart a small ration of the bread in my one of my side pouched attached at my waste. It was beginning to become stale, I figured the next town I visited I could pick up some more and restock in my supplies. I counted the days for my supply of water and rationed it out carefully but also took in the consideration of my terrain. I was surrounded by land and wood. There were plenty of brooks and creeks full of fresh water…minus the fish poop.

I was so confident that I could do this all on my own, at times there was little doubt but I made sure that I pushed that doubt in the back of my mind. No matter how far back I pushed that fear I could feel it bottle up for another time and it couldn’t wait to make me fall from my confidence. I tried the best I could to have no fear in my heart and I trudged on.

My boot crushed a branch causing it to echo across the woods. I inhaled sharply and looked around praying that no one heard that besides the creatures that dwelled inside this endless forest. I heard the rustle of chainmail and knew soldiers were coming to investigate the noise. I grabbed a branch and scraped the excess mud off the bottom of my boots and clicked the back of my heel exposing a hidden blade in the front. I rammed the tip of the blade in the tree and pulled on my nonstick gloves climbing up one with full leaves.

I balanced on a branch and smirked. I would blend in perfectly with the dark, I had on all dark clothes and watched between the branches as four soldiers gathered where the branch had snapped. One of them had a heavy thick accent, his spoke in a different tongue and then an all out American with a Southern accent spoke.

“There’s too much dry mud to actually make an imprint. It probably was a deer.”

“That, idiot…is too big of an inward snap to be a deer!”

“A bear?”

“Now your just guessing.”

“I’m exhausted, and highly doubt it was a person, who would have the gull to walk through the woods at night? They could get eaten, captured, and they d*mn well know there’s a curfew.”

The one with the tongue sneered and then dismissed it and decided to stop arguing with the lazy Southern man.

I watched as they retreated and I carefully climbed down. Idiots.
I glanced to the left and noticed the one with who speaks other tongues was walking back. I looked down, his gold bag was splayed at my feet, a few pieces scattered where he bent over to take a closer look. I backed around the thick trunk of the tree and peeked around the corner listening. It sounded like he was rummaging to collect all his precious coins from his pay. I listened. It became silent after he cleared his throat. It sounded as if he had walked back. A slice of his blade chopped into the tree just above my head. I resisted the urge to shriek like a girl.

He barked something at me in a different language. I backed away from the tree and watched him pull out his blade from the trunk. He glared at me with a clever smirk.

“I knew it was a man in these woods.”

“How observant.” I said with a smirk. I pulled out a bolas and swung it throwing it with a swinging force from my upper body. It wrapped itself around his ankles and locked them tightly together causing his stance to become a stumble.

I grinned and made my grand escape. He cursed in his other language and cut the thick thread that held his ankles together in a bind.

I quickly ran as I listened to him yell for backup. I ran out into an open field of green and saw woods further ahead of me. The strange thing about that was the tree tops were lower, I instantly recognized the plain was lower and couldn’t skid to a halt in time. I screamed as the back of my boots lost traction and ground. I slid down a large hill into a field of tall grass and flowers. My legs curled up as I slid and was getting slapped in the face by the grass. I shielded my face and screamed as I landed on my tailbone on something. I heard another loud groan. I laid there for a second trying to regain my thoughts. It felt like I hit my head slightly on something hard but other than that I didn’t feel like anything was broken.

I heard a soft groan under my back. My eyes widened. Did I fall on a soldier?! Did I fall on a lady?! No…it’s a man. I rolled off onto my stomach on the other side of him. His shoulder blades flexed and her sat himself up by his forearms. He was groaning. I had his the back of my head on his. I pulled my dagger out from the hilt in my boot and pressed it under his throat.

“Are you a spy?! A soldier?!” he groaned in response and cupped the back of his head. I waited for his reply and was about to ask again.

“No! are you daft?! You just landed on me when I was sitting here and admiring the night…no it’s alright I’m fine. You didn’t break my back or anything.”

“Well did i?”

“No.”

“Well then there you go.” I sheathed the dagger back in my boot and brushed the back of his hair up.

“You just have a small bump is all. I have the matching twin,” I rubbed the back of my head.

“and I didn’t mean to land on you…I was running from some idiot soldiers and just fell…”

“Feels like you jumped.”

“I’m wearing heavy artillery and clothes that’s why…”

“Or your just bulky.” My cheeks turned pink in anger.

“I am not bulky! I have a thin fig-“ He quickly sprain upright and cupped my mouth pressing my back into his chest holding me tightly against him. My eyes widened and I grabbed his wrist. He whispered through tightly grit teeth.

“If you flip me so help me I will break your leg.” I looked up at him, his eyes were fixed up at the hill which was covered with tree’s. The man with the different tongue was yelling something at the other three soldiers and then took a moment to reflect on his lost cause. He followed the rest of the pack and I looked back at the man.

He slid his hand off my mouth and I let out a held gasp.

“Thank you…”

“I don’t feel like getting questioned as to why I’m out here in this field at this hour and hauled to the stocks.”
I nodded once and looked at him slightly stunned. He had on a dark blue t-shirt with black pants hooked with a dark blue belt. The thing I remember the most about him is his dark, dark steel eyes. The tiny bit of light given off from the moon and starts was reflecting and glinting in the far corner of his eyes to show that he was still human. My mouth opened slightly. He had black long hair that was still short. There was a tint of blue highlighting his hair when light hit it. He had a strong jaw frame, broad shoulders, a nice muscular body. He flicked his head to the side sweeping his bangs out of his eyes and he looked at me studying the same as I was doing to him.

The only thing he did was look me from head to toe once and then smirked.

“What?”

“Such a scrawny man.” My cheeks blushed pink in embarrassment again and I opened my mouth to retort but he cut me off with his laughter.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I’m not…I’m smiling with my voice,” he tilt his head slightly smiling warmly. I tried not blushing. Just a moment ago he had a strong menacing face, and how he could just change it to a welcoming smile…he had to teach me how to do that.

“besides, you get flustered easily when I comment about your appearance.”
I turned my head away with a slight pout and huffed.
“So why were you sitting out here all by yourself?”
“Enjoying the night as many do to keep their wits about them and sanity.”
Amen.

“Why were you running? Are you a thief? Steal from the idiots?”

“Nope. I’m just a rogue traveler trying to get the world back to the way it was, so I’m going to Castle Sherwood.”

“Sherwood…” his face went back to a serious state and then he spoke again.
“idiot killed the world with his rein.”